New Year's Day--Just Another Workday for Putin

Karl Sanchez

Jan 01, 2024

Informal talk with soldiers, although most of transcript is classified.

Meeting with soldiers recovering at special medical facility.

Rehab pool at Vishnevsky Hospital.

Putin started right in on the first day of Russia’s Presidency of BRICS+ with an address made to members and the public. But that was just the start of the day as Putin visited the Central Military Clinical Hospital named after A.A. Vishnevsky and afterwords met in Novo-Ogaryovo with servicemen who participated in the special military operation. The Kremlin also released “The Concept of the Chairmanship of the Russian Federation” for the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2024. So. the first three will be produced below with the Concept standing alone as it’s a long document. I suppose you could call it an informal day since Mr. Putin isn’t wearing a tie. First up, the BRICS+ Address:

On January 1, Russia took over the BRICSan association that, according to the decision of the XV BRICS summit approved in August last year, now includes 10 states. Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have joined the BRICS as new full members. This clearly demonstrates the growing authority of the association and its role in world affairs.
BRICS attracts more and more supporters and like – minded countries that share the fundamental principles underlying its activities. These are sovereign equality, respect for the choice of one's own path of development, mutual consideration of interests, openness, consensus, striving for the formation of a multipolar world order and a fair model of the global financial and trading system, and the search for collective solutions to the most acute problems of our time.
It is in this spirit that the Russian presidency of BRICS in 2024 will operate under the motto "Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security", focusing on positive and constructive cooperation with all interested States.
We will take all possible steps in order to preserve the traditions and be guided by the experience accumulated by the association over the previous years, to promote the harmonious integration of new participants in all formats of its activities.
And of course, we will take into account the readiness of many other countries, and there are about three dozen of them, to join the BRICS in one form or another, to its multifaceted agenda. To do this, we will actively work out the modalities of a new category of BRICS partner states.
In general, Russia will continue its efforts to promote the entire range of partnership cooperation within the BRICS in three key areas: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contacts.
Naturally, we will put special emphasis on improving the foreign policy coordination of the participating countries and jointly finding effective responses to challenges and threats to international and regional security and stability. We will contribute to the practical implementation of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy until 2025 and the Action Plan on Innovative Cooperation for 2021-2024, ensuring energy and food security, increasing the role of BRICS in the international monetary and financial system, developing interbank cooperation and expanding the use of national currencies in mutual trade.
Among the priorities are further promotion of cooperation in the fields of science, high technologies, healthcare, ecology, as well as in the field of culture, sports, youth exchanges and civil society.
In total, it is planned to hold more than 200 events of various levels and directions in many cities of Russia within the framework of the chairmanship. We invite representatives of all countries wishing to cooperate with our organization to take part in them. And, of course, the culmination of our presidential "watch" will be the unification summit, which will be held in Kazan in October.
As we assume our chairmanship, Russia looks forward to fruitful joint work with all the BRICS member States. [My Emphasis]

Interesting that the “three key areas” are actually five, with economy and finance being one essentially, while combining politics with security is curious. I expect to see action early in the year on the use of central bank digital currencies as the main methods for clearing trade transactions to circumvent Western choke points and thus its illegal sanctions. It will be interesting to see how many and which non-members take advantage of Putin’s open invitation. And 200 events is certainly ambitious.

And now to the Vishnevsky Central Military Clinical Hospital visit which Putin toured again prior to meeting with some of the rehabbing soldiers. Here’s how the Kremlin described the tour:

Accompanied by State Secretary and Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov, the head of state toured the transcranial magnetic stimulation room, a therapeutic swimming pool, a therapeutic gymnastics hall, a water treatment center, as well as a rehabilitation educational center, physical therapy halls, and a consultation center on housing issues for military personnel.
The President was informed about how the issues of housing for military personnel are being resolved, as well as how the work of military medical commissions is being organized.
At the end of the inspection, Vladimir Putin met with military personnel.

I’d call it an informal inspection. Now the conversation with soldiers:

Vladimir Putin: Hi, guys! I'm glad to see you. Happy New Year to you.
How are you treated here?
Remarks: Excellent.
Vladimir Putin: I walked around here, looked, the equipment is good, of course, this is clear. The main thing is that it is used effectively. I hope so, yes?
Remarks: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: You know, I came here to wish you a Happy New Year, of course, but I also wanted to see this. If there was an opportunity, maybe you saw my straight line at least partially, it's impossible to watch everything there – four hours, you can go crazy how much to watch. But some things related directly to the Armed Forces and you, namely, people asked themselves that after being wounded, cured or even rehabilitated, you have to go to your units to get appropriate medical certificates and almost pass military medical commissions there. The Defense Ministry says that there is no such thing, at least not now. Yes, more than that: they also said that – I asked them to do this at the time-housing issues are also resolved during treatment, and children receive additional training in order to be able to continue serving – those who want to, even with serious injuries, in military registration and enlistment offices, and so on.
I wanted to ask you what's really going on: so it is, do you need to go somewhere else to get the appropriate certificates? No? So you get everything here? The military medical commission, all the documents – everything is processed here, right?
Remarks: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: Are housing issues also being resolved?
Remarks: Yes.
Remark: We have already decided.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I understand. In relation to you-decided, in relation to other guys-decided. In any case, the system of solving housing issues has been created and it works-that's the most important thing, right?
And you are also undergoing some kind of additional professional training so that those who want to can continue to serve in the Armed Forces, but in those positions that are possible, right? Does everything correspond to reality?
Remarks: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: Thank God. How are you feeling?
Cues: Good.
Vladimir Putin: This is one of the best medical institutions of the Ministry of Defense. Not all of them are so equipped, not all of them are so shiny, so to speak. But gradually, the agency will bring everything in line with this level and with this level of quality.
Do you guys have any questions for me? Don't be shy.
A. Dublyanin: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief!
In the course of a special military operation, we are liberating the Russian land. How do you feel about the help of Western countries to our enemy?
Vladimir Putin: The point is this: it's not that they are helping our enemy. They are our enemy. They solve their problems with their hands. That's what it's all about. Unfortunately, this has been the case for centuries and continues to be the case today.
Ukraine itself is not an enemy for us. But those who want to destroy Russian statehood, those who want to achieve, as they say, a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield, are mainly in the West, and even then there are different people there. There are people who sympathize with us and who are with us mentally. But there are so-called elites for whom the existence of Russia – at least in its current quality, in its current size-they think is unacceptable. They want to split up. As a matter of fact, you are young people, some have read it, some have not read it-they do not hide it. They have been talking and writing about it publicly for decades, if we talk about modern history. For decades, they have simply written and openly talked about it: divide it into five parts, too many. I can tell you all about it until morning, but it's obvious.
Therefore, they nurtured the so-called Kiev regime for quite a long time. It is precisely to create this conflict. Unfortunately for us, they have achieved this, created this conflict and are trying to solve their own task, namely, the task of fighting Russia, by the hands of the Ukrainians.
You probably see on the battlefield that they are gradually "deflating". When a projectile flies, it is difficult to know whether it is "deflated" or not, but in general, you probably know that the situation on the battlefield is changing. This is despite the fact that the entire so-called civilized West in quotation marks is fighting us.
You've probably heard it many times, too: the Ukrainian army spends five or even six thousand 155-caliber shells per day of combat operations, and the United States produces 14 [thousand] per month – per month! And they spend five thousand dollars a day. Yes, now they plan to increase it during 2024, but also: they produced 14-15, they will produce up to 20 [thousand]. But if you spend five thousand dollars a day, then exhaustion occurs quite quickly. Here it comes now. And we are increasing and will continue to increase, and this is a multiple. They were supplied with more than 400 tanks – 450 or whatever it is, and we will produce and overhaul 1,600 in a year. This is not a state secret, in fact, probably there will be more. And so it is for almost every position. Therefore, despite the fact that they have always set such a task – to deal with Russia, we ourselves will deal with them faster, it seems.
And the most important thing that we have is, of course, what I have repeatedly said: the consolidation of our people, our society, because there is an understanding of how important the task that you solve on the battlefield in the course of the armed struggle for our country and for our future is. This is the most important thing. It's not that we don't like what is being supplied to Ukraine, that's not the point of the problem. The essence of the problem is not in Ukraine, but in those who are trying to destroy Russia with the hands of Ukraine. That's the problem. But they won't succeed, it's just out of the question, absolutely out of the question.
I think that the realization of this is gradually coming, and the rhetoric is changing: those who yesterday said that it is necessary to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, are now already looking for expressions about how to end the conflict faster. We also want to end the conflict as quickly as possible, only on our own terms. We have no desire to fight indefinitely, but we are not going to give up our positions either. You fought in the war, got injured there, and so on, and what are we, all surrender, or what? The cameras are working here, I would show you a certain gesture right now, you all know what kind of gesture it is. So that's not going to happen.
So, what else, guys? Yes, please.
Dmitry Shamalyuk: Comrade Supreme Commander!
Sergeant Shamalyuk.
I have such a question. From the very beginning of the special operation, our enemies have constantly and regularly shelled the territories of the border areas, thereby destroying civilians, children, towns and cities. I have a question for you: do you think it is possible and necessary to introduce tougher measures of influence on our enemy, so that they do not even have such thoughts in their heads to commit their own atrocities?
Vladimir Putin: What has just happened in Belgorod is, of course, a terrorist act. Why? Because under the cover of two missiles - "Alder", in my opinion-what did they do? They hit from multiple launch rocket systems, MLRS. As military people, you know what MLRS is. These weapons are indiscriminate, hitting squares. And with this weapon, they hit right in the center of the city, where people were walking before the New Year. Just a strike, a targeted strike against the civilian population. Of course, this is a terrorist attack, and there is no other way to call it.
Should we respond in this way? Of course, we can, we can hit the squares in Kiev, and in any other city. Denis, there are children walking there, mummies with strollers. I understand that everything is boiling over for me, and I want to ask you: do we need to do this, hit the squares?
Dmitry Shamalyuk: No, I'm not saying that it should be in terms of the civilian population ,but in terms of military infrastructure…
Vladimir Putin: And that's what we do.
Dmitry Shamalyuk: So that once and for all they won't be able to come to their senses and answer us already.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, but that's what we do. We use high-precision weapons to hit the places where their decisions are made, places where military personnel and mercenaries gather, other centers of this kind, and above all military facilities. And they are quite sensitive, these blows. So we will do it. You probably noticed that just the next day such strikes were delivered. And today, in my opinion, they are applied, and tomorrow we will do it.
You know, what's the point of what they do? They want to: a) intimidate us; b) create some kind of uncertainty in our country. For our part, we will step up the strikes I mentioned earlier. Of course, no such crime, and this is certainly a crime against the civilian population, will go unpunished, this is one hundred percent, there can be no doubt.
Dmitry Shamalyuk: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Please, guys.
Igor Shushakov: May I ask your permission?
Vladimir Putin: Yes, now, please. Come on.
Igor Shushakov: Comrade Supreme Commander!
Major Shushakov.
For two years now, our country has been fighting for its future. Please tell me, how do you assess the progress of the special military operation?
Vladimir Putin: I've already said it, I can repeat it, and you can feel it yourself. Our Armed Forces are becoming so capable and so ready to use modern means of waging armed struggle, as no other army in the world is ready and can do.
First, we have weapons of destruction that are not available in any army in the world, and secondly, the ability to use everything that appears. Third, what appears appears quickly enough. I know for sure there is not enough "on the front" and I would like most of all to be modern: both drones and other things, I would like more means of suppressing enemy drones that fly over you like flies. I understand everything, but still what appears appears quite quickly.
Do you know what else is very important? Modern methods of warfare, their effectiveness, depend on how quickly any army in the world can orient itself about what is most important at a given time, respond to it from the point of view of production and implement it as quickly as possible during combat operations.
Here we are already doing it better and better, probably better, than anywhere else. And these are very huge advantages that our Armed Forces have, and I think that no one can act like this today. And these capabilities, the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces, they are constantly, and multiply, increasing. So in general-you are already a senior officer, so you know, we try not to give the highest marks…
Igor Shushakov: That's right.
Vladimir Putin: ... Satisfactory.
You are welcome.
Alexander Davydov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, may I ask you a question?
We can see that you have a very large workload. How do you manage to maintain high performance?
Vladimir Putin: But when you meet with you, it gives you extra strength. I'm not kidding. Sasha, right? Alexander?
A. Davydov: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: I'm not joking, I'm being honest. Because when you meet guys like you, it gives you extra strength and confidence that we are doing everything right.
Alexander Davydov: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: This is such an element, but it is very important. It's not really ironic, it's an important element, for me, at least, for sure.
You are welcome.
Yevgeny Korsun: Comrade Supreme Commander!
Guards Junior Sergeant Korsun.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, first of all-Happy New Year to you!
And such a question. What are the results of the past year and what are the real plans for the present? What should not only the Armed Forces and military personnel prepare for, but also everyone?
Vladimir Putin: In the whole country, right?
E. Korsun: Yes. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: You know, if you look at the results of the year, I talked about this on a direct line, what can I say? The most important thing is that you keep everything tight at the front and, moreover, the strategic initiative is practically in our hands today. Fathers-commanders learned to act carefully and not perform combat tasks at any cost. Anyway, that's what they tell me. I always insist on this: to do everything, to carry out any offensive operations after a serious fire defeat of the enemy. This is what "on the battlefield" is all about.
And in the whole country, of course, it is a matter of principle that we did not just preserve the country's economy, did not allow it to be destroyed, which the enemy hoped for – I will answer your question too. It is not Ukraine that expected to destroy our economy, it is not able to do this. It itself is completely destroyed already, there is nothing left, exists only on handouts. Everyone goes, managers, with an outstretched hand, begging for an extra million dollars.
We have a completely different situation. Our economy declined by 2.1 percent last year. But just recently, the Government reported to me-the calculations are constant, and new and new data are emerging - so the latest data shows that it has fallen not by 2.1 percent, but by 1.2 percent. This is essential. And this year, the economy grew by 3.5 percent. Gross domestic product, GDP, the main indicator of the state of the economy, is how much a country has produced in total. If you recalculate it, you can use money to calculate how much you made, plus 3.5 percent. And the drop was 1,2. We won back the fall and went ahead. This is an absolutely fundamental question. This is the first and most important thing.
This indicates that the economy is functioning steadily. We have slightly increased inflation, that is, prices have increased, but we control everything, we control everything. As you know, we have never had such a situation. We have always said with sadness that our main income comes from oil and gas. For the first time in many years, in our economic structure, the growth of processing industries far exceeds revenues from oil and gas. Oil and gas revenues, in my opinion, are three percent, and the refining industry has given a multiple of that, just a multiple of that. This has never happened before. This suggests that we are undergoing structural changes in the economy. It is very important.
And at the expense of what? When Western companies left our market, they probably expected that everything would collapse at once: enterprises would stop, thousands of people would be left without work. Well, in the best case scenario for the enemy, for the enemy in the broad sense of the word – for the opponents of Russia as a whole, and not just on the battlefield – people will go out on the streets, demand bread and work.
We have the lowest unemployment rate in the entire history of Russia – 2.9 percent, this has never been the case. And real incomes of the population have grown – there is such a thing as real disposable incomes of the population – and real wages have grown, and quite decently. All this shows that we have a stable economy and financial system.
Russia was disconnected from the international payment system – SWIFT it is called. Also, apparently, they were counting on the fact that everything would collapse. We supply goods from our traditional exports, but how do we pay for them? Nothing, everything works.
Everyone thought that the enterprises would stop, because they stopped supplying us with components – but it turns out that everything is possible. Yes, problems have been created, but nevertheless they are being overcome.
Including small and medium-sized businesses that work effectively. Some foreign companies left, but our business immediately took over. First, there are highly qualified personnel who have not gone anywhere, there are good production organizers, and in various industries: both in industry and in the service sector – and everything works. This is the most important thing – the stability of the country's economy and financial system, because it is the basis for everything.
And of course, as I have already said, the number of weapons produced in our country has increased many times, including when I talk about the growth of industrial production, this is meant, but not only: one-third of the growth was carried out at the expense of civilian industries, and this is very important. So this is probably the most important thing – the stability of the financial and economic system and the real sector of the economy.
In addition, we are implementing all our previously planned projects. From the point of view of infrastructure, you know, guys, it's trillions, and we build roads and open new routes every week. This is very important, it's not just a ride back and forth. There is a road – life, including economic life, begins: businesses appear immediately there, small and medium-sized enterprises appear, because otherwise you can't get there, but now you can. A completely different picture of the world is emerging.
No matter how difficult it may be, we are gradually resolving housing and communal services-this is also very important, social issues. Many of you have families and children, right? But the same maternity capital – no one closes it. The country fulfills all social obligations in full. Moreover, we have created a fairly powerful and balanced system of support for families with children – this is very important, taking into account the future of the country-and from a woman's pregnancy to the age of 18. This is important for specific people, and therefore for the country as a whole.
Therefore, strange as it may seem, despite the fact that we are in a state of armed conflict, and all the main indicators of the country's viability and efficiency have increased. And this is probably the most important indicator of the state of Russia.
E. Korsun: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: What else? All?
Happy New Year to you guys. All the best! Have a good day! All the best! Get better! [My Emphasis]

Several important revelations about Putin, Russia’s genuine enemies, and the seeming oddity of Russia’s resilience while undertaking the SMO, although at the now revealed one-third “cost” to the civilian economy. A figure was recently cited that Russia’s military expenses for 2024 would be about $180 billion, whereas the main enemy, the Outlaw US Empire, spends well over $1 Trillion on its overseas empire and military to enforce it, or roughly 5-6 times more than Russia. However, Russia’s military output is qualitatively and quantitively superior as are the qualities of all its service branches. If Russia had 100 million more people, its advantages would be even larger.

After the hospital, Putin retreated to one of the governments dachas to meet with a selection of service members representing all service branches to get their candid POVs on the SMO and the military generally. A very informal affair with some champagne, a nice meal, and some parting gifts. The video shows what the transcript doesn’t, which is very edited to omit the frank conversation.

And for one of the briefest transcripts you’ll read here:

Vladimir Putin: Dear comrades, good afternoon! Happy New Year!
I have asked you today to gather the Ministry of Defense, and in such a way that you represent the most diverse types and branches of the Armed Forces, from different areas of combat contact. There should also be motorized infantry, tankers, airborne troops, special forces, marines, pilots, sailors and from different sectors of the front, as I understand it.
I assume that we will talk calmly and you will tell me how your combat work is going, and I will be happy to congratulate you and say these New Year's words - Happy New Year again. I hope that after our meeting today, you will also extend your best wishes to all your comrades-in-arms in your units. [My Emphasis]

Yes, it would be very good to know the content of the intimate talk. Judging by the video snippets, a good time was had by all. And again, Happy New Year!

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